Feel free to read or create a new topic about benzodiazepine questions or detox. (*Note - Benzodiazepines are not opiates. They are Valium, Xanax, Klonopin, Ativan, and many more. Additionally, cessation of benzos without medical supervision can be very dangerous.)

I could use some input of those who went before me. Normally I am a high strung person with some mild to moderate anxiety. Say that to a doctor and out comes the pad for Xanax. He put me on .50 at 2 per day when needed. My fucked up addict brain doesn't even like that drug but it does change my brain waves so of course I have to take my two every day. What I do is take them both at the same time so I can feel them. Over the course of a few years I've stopped for several days, five at most and didn't feel any discomfort. Now it's been about a year w/o any breaks and I wonder if I'm heading into trouble getting off these buggers. To tell the truth, most nights now I take three of them to = 1.5 mg's. Yes, tolerance does go up like opiates. Am I going to have trouble stopping these? Should I taper down by maybe a pill per week and then cut them in half and then stop?

Whatever good advice you got I'll take. I did read the notice up top of this section first like it suggested. That is why I'm worried.

This is some powerful shit. Read all the posts by Xenofears getting off of it. I was on it for a year or two and really had a difficult time getting off of it. I was on sub at the same time, but the benzo's were worse to get off. I couldn't taper much because I kept screwing it up, I finally had to go in patient and have them get me off. I realize not everyone can do that, so read how Xeno did it. You have to be super committed and stick to a program you outline. Even when I was in the rehab, I hallucinated as they brought me down and they kept saying I was going to have a seizure. I'd never take another benzo again now, it's been awhile and I am going to keep it that way. I got religion on those and sub. You are right on about how the addict mind works.

Hey Bupeduped - I was on and off benzos many times over the years. This last stretch had to be at least 3-5 years of every day use. They were legitimately prescribed. I found myself doing the same thing as you after a while - taking my days dose so I'd "feel" the relief from my anxiety. I was on 4mg/day of klonopin. I just switched dr's a little over a month ago and the first thing my new dr had me do was get off the benzos. Luckily I had already been weaning myself down. I was at like 1 - 1&1/2 mg's a day (or somewhere around there). Weaned down over the course of a couple/few months. Then when I seen this new dr he gave me the 3 choices - he could wean me off using the "Ashton Manual" (wean down then switch to Valium & finish tapering off using Valium) Or go to the ER (no thanks lol) Or I could stop cold turkey and they'd give me phenobarbital so I would not have a seizure. I chose the phenobarbital and cold turkey. I am on day 34 of the cold turkey and have good moments and bad ones... I had stopped them quite a few times in the past without a whole lot of trouble really. But I had never really taken them every day like I had these last # of years. So I didn't really anticipate much trouble. I have gotten hit by a whole lot more w/d this time than I thought I would. But like I said, I was probably taking them daily for right around 5 years or so (and I was at 4mg/day for almost that entire time). While it has not been easy by any means, it is definitely do-able. Klonopin has a much longer half life than Xanax does, so that could be why the w/d has lasted so long. I don't know. Do you get any type of w/d in between your daily doses?

Don't be scared of the w/d though. Just do not abruptly stop taking the benzos is all. Check out that Heather Ashton Manual. That seems to be the method of choice, especially for those who have trouble getting off. You may not even need to go this method. Benzo w/d seems to vary greatly from person to person. Just start by cutting your dose slow. Give your body a little time to adjust and see how you feel. You will know by the way you feel. If you find it easy then you probably do not need a long taper. If you feel crappy then you probably need to take it slow. The most important thing is just to keep moving forward.

Very good choice to get off the benzos now! They have created many more problems than they were ever worth for me. I just wish I would have gotten off them many years ago!

Been on (and off) sub for just over 10 years. Clean as of August 10th 2014 Was on benzos for about 10 years. Went off cold turkey on Aug. 21st 2013.Also, been clean from H (& other drugs) just over 3 years.

Everything I say on this site is just my opinion. I am no expert by any means (and I definitely don't mean to come off that way).

Ive been using benzos for years now but I tend to use up my whole script the first week or soo. I cant offer much in terms of addiction since I binge then have none I have never used daily for more then two weeks. I would say You will most likely feel some wd from the Xanax but due to its short half life its possible you wont to. IT hard to say since you only took it once daily and took only 1mg. Yes its powerfull stuff but compared to someone taking 10mgs or more your ina better boat. Just try stoping the Xanax on a day/ days you have free and see what happens. Keep note of anxiety levels and heart rate all things that could point to wd. Since seizure are a problem with benzos if its gets bad don't keep stoping. its best you start again if you feel wd and slowly ween. Do you want off the benzos or just don't want ot become addicted?

I think the opposite of most of you which is my freedom of living in America but I have used about every drug there is for the past 15 years and I'm 29. I've been on subs and xanax for about ten years and I was on 16 mg of sub and 8mg of xanax a day for 10 years after my first overdose on heroin at 18. I actually had to stop for 37 days from xanax and subs from my second od from heroin and I would say that being in detox they give u Librium which makes all withdrawals go away and they give u subutex for about 3 days and after 7 days of detox u go to rehab for 30 days 100 % sober. So I thought it wasn't bad at all cuz they do it the right way and during rehab and I was allowed nothing but ibprofen and I had no withdrawls or anything so I'm back on xanax subutex and adderall and life is the best it's ever been. I have a house I am a computer programmer and these meds works wonders for me. Especially after using MDMA from 14-28. So find which med works for u don't listen to other people jus because something happened to them. Time for a bar living the good life

So, why did you go to rehab if all these medicines work wonders for you? Just curious is all. Also, why are you posting on a site designed for people trying to get off sub and other addictive meds? Maybe you're not as happy as you say...?

But hey whatever floats your boat! You are on 3 of the most popular addictive meds prescribed, but if you're fine with beings slave to the drugs, more power to you... Adderall to wake you up and give you energy, benzos to put you to sleep and sub to keep you out of opiate withdrawal. Gee, I can't see any possible problems with that combo of meds...! lmao

The benzos totally messed me up. I used to love them too until all the problems started.

Sounds like you still enjoy getting high. Maybe some day you will grow out of it. Be careful drinking on that combo of meds. Drinking while taking benzos can cause a person to go into a coma that they may never wake up from. Not to mention the respiratory depression caused by the sub and benzos...

Been on (and off) sub for just over 10 years. Clean as of August 10th 2014 Was on benzos for about 10 years. Went off cold turkey on Aug. 21st 2013.Also, been clean from H (& other drugs) just over 3 years.

Everything I say on this site is just my opinion. I am no expert by any means (and I definitely don't mean to come off that way).

Stuck- he's a programmer, can't you picture him hunched over a keyboard eating adderal's pounding those keys and then benzo's to sleep a few hours? Round and round he goes, the hamster wheel of pill popping.

What was the crack about living in America? I didn't quite get that, you like that freedom or you don't?

Luvxanaxandsubs wrote:I think the opposite of most of you which is my freedom of living in America but I have used about every drug there is for the past 15 years and I'm 29. I've been on subs and xanax for about ten years and I was on 16 mg of sub and 8mg of xanax a day for 10 years after my first overdose on heroin at 18. I actually had to stop for 37 days from xanax and subs from my second od from heroin and I would say that being in detox they give u Librium which makes all withdrawals go away and they give u subutex for about 3 days and after 7 days of detox u go to rehab for 30 days 100 % sober. So I thought it wasn't bad at all cuz they do it the right way and during rehab and I was allowed nothing but ibprofen and I had no withdrawls or anything so I'm back on xanax subutex and adderall and life is the best it's ever been. I have a house I am a computer programmer and these meds works wonders for me. Especially after using MDMA from 14-28. So find which med works for u don't listen to other people jus because something happened to them. Time for a bar living the good life

If you are happy, then so be it. One day, if the world you know comes crashing down, come back and ask for help....we should still be here..... enjoy the honeymoon!

Luvxanaxandsubs wrote:I think the opposite of most of you which is my freedom of living in America but I have used about every drug there is for the past 15 years and I'm 29. I've been on subs and xanax for about ten years and I was on 16 mg of sub and 8mg of xanax a day for 10 years after my first overdose on heroin at 18. I actually had to stop for 37 days from xanax and subs from my second od from heroin and I would say that being in detox they give u Librium which makes all withdrawals go away and they give u subutex for about 3 days and after 7 days of detox u go to rehab for 30 days 100 % sober. So I thought it wasn't bad at all cuz they do it the right way and during rehab and I was allowed nothing but ibprofen and I had no withdrawls or anything so I'm back on xanax subutex and adderall and life is the best it's ever been. I have a house I am a computer programmer and these meds works wonders for me. Especially after using MDMA from 14-28. So find which med works for u don't listen to other people jus because something happened to them. Time for a bar living the good life

You must be in that just went to rehab, dried out and "I can control it phase. You'll hear the pop eventually "(that's what my Dad says when you pull your head out of your ass).

Hi Steph, just read this thread and you made me LMAO, so thanks for that. So true. Eventually he'll crash and burn.Of course we all know where he is headed. Why post shit like that and boast about it. Fucked up. 'But for the Grace of GOD go I."Tia

I finally made my way back to the forum for an update. Jeeezz, what a messed up addict that luvsubxanax (sp?) is. It's okay to highjack my thread but to validate all the drug use on a recovery forum is quite a different story.

No, I have not made any progress with stopping my Xanax use. Still at 1.5 mg's and my doctor prescribes me the 1 mg ones (X's 2) now instead of the .50. That allows me to stockpile some in case I travel or just to not see the doctor as often for refills. And the one thing I said I would do and didn't, was to read the Heather Aston Manual way to stop. My addict brain still wants that drink at 5 PM. That's the only way I can explain it. AA helped me get sober almost 30 years ago so now it is satisfied with having a Beck's Beer (non-alcoholic) and taking my daily dose of Xanax. Some certain friends know and some don't. The one my sick brain listens to is the one who says it's no big deal about the amount, being so low and all. My wife isn't keen on it but if we go out I just take less or delay the dose until it's safe.

By posting back on this thread it will bring it back up to the top of the discussion page. Good. People need to know how messed up this drug is and just how powerful the pull is. When the day comes that I stop I'll post back and let you know. Until then, take care all. And BTW, yes I know the Beck's has ½ of 1% of alcohol in it. Been drinking one per day for 25 years w/no problems.